Gemma Chan’s parents were reduced to tears by her appearance in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’.
The 36-year-old actress starred in the Jon M. Chu-directed rom-com, which features a predominantly Asian cast, and Gemma has admitted her parents were moved by the film.
The British star – who is of Chinese ancestry – shared: "I look back on it now and I couldn’t have imagined that film being made, even five years ago. I feel so lucky that I was a part of it.
"And not to overhype it or overegg it or anything, but I took my mum and dad with me to the premiere in London, and they were just in tears.
"My mum said to me, she never expected to see people [on screen] who looked like her family, the food that we ate, music that was in the soundtrack that she hadn’t heard since her childhood. It was really personal and really special."
Gemma actually studied law at Oxford University, but ultimately decided to pursue a career in the movie business.
And she’s admitted it was tough telling her parents that she was turning her back on law.
She told the Observer newspaper: "I knew how important education was because of my parents. It’s what got my dad out of poverty, enabled his siblings to, and it meant he could come to the UK.
"It was really, really painful. I hated that. I hated causing them pain.
"I feel bad for talking about it now because they’re so proud and supportive.
"But I totally understand where they were coming from. It was a pure fear of not knowing whether I was going to be all right.
"Both my parents are immigrants. They came from nothing, had to work so hard, and so the idea for them, I suppose, of taking a risk, that wasn’t a luxury they had.
"I always knew that was the luxury and privilege that I had, that they had given me."
Gemma Chan reveals her parents’ pride
